BHUBANESWAR: Even as the State government claims no vaccine shortage in Bhubaneswar, many eligible beneficiaries were deprived of the jabs on Sunday due to sheer mismanagement. Close to 100 registered beneficiaries of 45+ age group, who had registered slots for vaccination at East Coast Railway Hospital in Mancheswar here, returned without taking their shots as the session site remained shut.
Nitish, who took his 62-year-old mother to the vaccination centre, said, “My mother had been allotted the slot on May 16 evening from 5 pm to 6 pm. However, when we reached at East Coast Community Centre on the hospital premises, we found it locked and no staff was present for vaccination,” he said.
Nitish and some other beneficiaries, after waiting for over 30 minutes, came to know that no vaccination will take place at the site on the day. While the hospital authorities, couldn’t be reached for their comments, the beneficiaries said they were asked to contact the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), which is managing the vaccination programme in the city.
Though the Health department on Saturday announced that vaccination will take place at five session sites in the city, the BMC neither shared any details on it nor informed about the places where the inoculation will take place. Apart from the mess at the vaccination centre, some beneficiaries alleged that they were unable to book slot for the drive-in vaccination which will resume on Monday at five places in the city. BMC officials couldn’t be reached for their comments.
Session sites at ward level demanded
Bhubaneswar: With BMC planning to ramp up vaccination drive in the city, the former corporators have demanded to set up session sites at ward level for smooth inoculation of eligible beneficiaries. Raghunath Mohanty, former corporator of Ward no 63 in the city, said there are around 10,000 people in different slums of the area who are facing difficulties to visit vaccination centres located in other wards during the lockdown. The civic body must consider the proposal for welfare of the slum dwellers. The BMC has opened vaccination sites in 26 government-run healthcare facilities to vaccinate people in the 18-44 and 45+ age groups.